13 Aug 2006 |
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 As the Nigerians leave Bakassi
tomorrow August 14th 2006, the retreat has brought to the
fore many things. First, it has demonstrated that, Nigeria’s
superiority over Cameroon is not just based on population and economic
teams; it is also a military one. It has also shown the limits of a
section of the Cameroonian Press, that over rated their Armed Forces
that are good at terrorising armless Cameroonians and which, without
French military backings, the superior and much more disciplined Nigerian
Army would have munched her pathetic defence and ride all the way to
Yaoundé and pre-empts Biya’s fall or cause an internal mutiny. This may mean that, Biya may have negotiated the territorial disputes not based on patriotism as some Cameroonians are thinking, but much more on a personal need for the preservation of his rule. The fear of a super power or a regional power, as it is the case with Nigeria, is the beginning of wisdom for any dictator. Saddam played down the Anglo-Americans threats and paid it dearly. Other dictators who have suffered the same fate are Amine Dada of Uganda or Moboutou of erstwhile Zaire. So Biya is not simply a fainthearted- feeble voice-fool as stupidly presented by his disorganised home based political opponents. Finally Cameroonians, who often enjoy badmouthing Nigeria or snubbing her, will now have their mouths sealed forever and also swallow their pride, certainly grudgingly. However, Nigeria’s retreat shows that, Africans are not just excited war mongers, but people who are also zealous lovers of peace. All merchants of weapons who were preparing to smile to the banks as both countries were sabre-rattling are now very disappointed, especially those who had made advance loans from banks to be reimbursed from their sales of Arms to both countries. While most people thought that Nigeria were the ones to renege on her engagements, it now seems the dishonest partner in the accords is Cameroon. That is, if the reports published in the Nigerian daily Guardian, of Sunday August 13th 2006 is to be believed (1).
Problems long solved But above and beyond any other
considerations, August 14th 2006 is just a symbolic date,
for the remaining or the maritime part of the border disputes between
Cameroon and Nigeria has long been solved. It happened on the 22nd
of October 2002. On that fateful day, the International Court of Justice
seating at The Hague ruled in favour of Cameroon. And recently again,
the Green tree agreement came to cement the earlier decision, but also
posed the question of such an agreement, after the initial ruling that
Nigeria has long promised to respect. And in keeping with her promise,
Nigeria has started withdrawing from the disputed and allegedly Oil
rich peninsular. However, the Green tree accord
was as though the UN was aware that, its engineered resolution of the
disputed territory was not the best. The legal victory of Cameroon over
Nigeria was never expected and even came like a fluke, perhaps it happened
because Nigeria was just leaving its pariah status orchestrated by the
rule of its former leader, late General Sani Abacha. Currently with
Nigeria’s status in the world, Cameroon will not register such a victory. But it is a victory all the same and conceivably the greatest success of Paul Biya, a man who has been leading Cameroon for the past 24 years and have succeeded a sinister feast of transforming his country from an intermediate economy to join the club of very poor and indebted countries. The man who has presided over the economic demise of Cameroon has something in his teeth now to show off.
Cameroonian extrapolations/
Nigerian lamentations He and members of his ruling
CPDM party will use the legal victory in next year’s municipal and
legislative and also presidential elections (in 5 years time) campaigns,
which he and his party are certain to win. While the legal victory
has given room to wild joy and expressions of funny extrapolations in
Cameroon like those published in the August 11th 2006 edition
of Le Messager, a French-language Cameroonian weekly or
the a cautionary and much more professional one of the government own
bilingual daily Cameroon Tribune of the same date and
day, there are some lamentation and bewilderment in Abuja. Most Nigerians and other observers
in the globe have not yet come to term or can’t comprehend how and
why Nigeria lost that legal battle to little Cameroon. However, Abuja
doesn’t need to lament much, for the decision to hand over Bakassi,
even though approved and encouraged by the international community,
Nigeria knows fully well that, she was not compelled to abide to, but
decided nonetheless to respect the ruling and her words. All out of
free will. Another reason which is perhaps the most plausible which
may have forced Abuja to give up Bakassi is the continental and world
ambitions of Nigeria. This is because, a country such as Nigeria, that
wants to assume grandiose roles on the continent and beyond, must preach
by example. Nigeria’s action automatically
gives her the moral wherewithal to take part as mediator in similar
cases in Africa and the world. She could act as mediator in the Ethiopian/Eritrean
border dispute or the Israeli/Palestinian/Lebanon and Syrian border
disputes in the Middle East. And other parts of the world such as the
Bolivian/Chilean territorial dispute in South America, that has remained
unsolved for all 50 years or the Pakistanis/Indian dispute over Kashmir
in the Far East. Warnings to Cameroon On the part of Cameroon, Bakassi
may have made some officials in Yaoundé to start salivating, for it
is claimed in some quarters that, the peninsular may hide under its
waters large deposit of Oil. For a country like Cameroon whose Oil deposits
are dwindling and more so relies on Nigerian crude Oil which is refined
in her lone refinery in Victoria (Limbe) and sold locally, Bakassi is
like manna from heaven. But looking at things keenly, Bakassi
may appear more like a poisoned gift to Cameroon from the UN/ICJ. For
the government of Cameroon will be judged more on how she integrates
her new set of English-speaking population/citizens. This is because, for the past
40 years, her first group of Anglophones that she inherited courtesy
a controversial UN sanctioned referendum organised in October
1st 1961, have only their eyes to cry in the hands
of a cavalier French-speaking dominated central government based in
Yaoundé, that has done everything to destroy the English-speaking identity
of its minority(2). Cameroon has to work extra hard to win the confidence
of its new citizens and respect of the international community. Signs of good will from Yaoundé to indigenes of Bakassi will be to elevate the peninsular to a full-fledged province, create or increase parliamentary seats at the Cameroon National assembly in order for Bakassi indigenes to be represented in parliament, employ Bakassi indigenes in the military, police and the civil service.
Elected Bakassi indigenes should
be bona fide dwellers of the peninsular and not people from the continent
or some regurgitated political figures who might want to refurbish their
political careers by metamorphosing as natives of the peninsular. And
finally, encourage good relationship between Cameroon and Nigeria and
also trained its roguish security officials to respectful in particular
its violent and corrupt Gendarmes who prey on Nigerian traders and citizens.
These Gendarmes who always consider Nigerians especially traders as
milking cows are the prime cause why Nigeria decided to secure her citizens
because of the inability of the government of Cameroon. Before that could happen, news
has been gathered that, Bakassi indigenes have decided to declare independence
from Nigeria and Cameroon (3). Such reactions from people who feel cheated
and who also know the treatment that Anglophone Cameroonians that they
will become part are witnessing was certainly expected. Already the
dissatisfaction of English-speaking Cameroonians has forced them to
create the Southern Cameroonian National Council (SCNC), a pressure
group agitating for the independence of the former British Cameroons.
But because they are disorganised, their demands have never materialised
or even ruffled the central government. Necessity for strong Cameroon/Nigeria
relationship However the Bakassi nationalists
might bring into the English-speaking nationalists of Cameroon some
new vigour if both entities team up and it may spell chaos and the end
of the current kangaroo unity of Cameroon. Hence the necessity for both
countries to forged stronger ties, for it is only through such ties
that problems common in both countries can be solved or lasting solutions
sorted out (4). After the ICJ ruling in favour of Cameroon was made
public, those who knew the situation on the ground knew that, the UN
brokered settlement contained much more problems than, those working
at turtle bay thought they had solved. Hence in an article in titled
Bakassi: why joint administration offers the best solution, the author
championed direct negotiations between Cameroon and Nigeria, for the
author thought direct talks would take into consideration the aspirations
of the aboriginals much more than the UN and its far away court has
done. In case direct talks/negotiations were perused, it might have
ended with Bakassi being jointly administered by both countries with
a special status for citizens of the peninsular and would have enabled
them to have dual citizenship and which also would have been beneficial
to all. Interestingly had the second
option succeeded, it would have been perhaps the first of its kind in
Africa but not in the world. In the Caribbean, the island of Saint Martin
is jointly administered by France and the Netherlands. In Africa, there
are also cases of joint administration in oil explorations between Nigeria
and Sao Tome and Principe. Such experiences would have best for Cameroon and Nigeria especially that, offshore explorations are onerous while joint exploitations are the only means to bring down cost and increase benefits in Oil fields that are located in maritime borders/block like in the Atlantic Ocean.
Notes:- 1 read Sunday 13th
August 2006 edition of the Nigerian daily newspaper Guardian or log
on to http://www.ngrguardiannews.com 2 read Celebrating 44 years
of Cameroon’s unification: Has it succeeded? Published in Post watch
magazine of October 2005 or by logging onto http://www.postwatchmagazine 3 read or log onto http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi 4 read Cameroon-Nigeria united
in one fate now and in the future by logging onto http://eliesmith.blogspot.com 4 read Bakassi: why joint administration offers the best solution published in the May/June 2005 edition of the magazine African Renaissance. Elie Smith is a Broadcast Journalist by profession and have worked with the English services of Radio France International and Canal France International,respectively as a correspondent in Africa and sports commentator in Paris where he lives.
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